Seattle University Selects New Dean to Lead Law School:
After a nationwide search, Seattle University has selected Anthony E. Varona as the new dean of Seattle University School of Law. He joins the law school — with an annual enrollment of more than 600 students and a strong emphasis on social justice — from the University of Miami School of Law, where he served as dean and M. Minnette Massey Chair in Law from August 2019 through June 2021, and now holds the Massey Chair as a tenured professor and dean emeritus.
“Tony Varona is the right dean for this pivotal moment in Seattle University School of Law’s history,” President Eduardo Peñalver said. “His roots in Jesuit higher education, along with his deeply held commitment to public service, are a perfect match for Seattle University’s Jesuit-inspired mission to educate powerful advocates for justice. With his personal warmth, strong vision, and tremendous energy, Tony will accelerate the law school forward. I have long admired Tony’s work as a legal academic and administrator, and I am excited to have the opportunity to work with him over the coming years.”
Nearly a year after his abrupt firing as dean of the University of Miami law school, Anthony Varona announced Thursday he got hired as the new law dean at Seattle University, a private Jesuit Catholic institution in Washington state. …
Varona’s firing shocked the South Florida legal community and sparked national outrage last summer. UM President Julio Frenk pushed out Varona in late May, 23 months into his five-year contract, without previously consulting faculty — the standard procedure in universities.
Frenk hasn’t provided clear reasons for pushing out Varona, except for alluding at the time to a lack of fundraising. Students, alumni, professors and other members of the legal community have raised concerns that Varona’s identity as an openly gay and Cuban man lead to his ousting. Frenk has dismissed those rumors. …
When Frenk demoted him, he offered to let Varona stay on as a tenured faculty member and to keep his title as the M. Minnette Massey Professor of Law. Varona stepped down as dean July 1, retained the Massey Chair and became dean emeritus. But he also started looking for a new top administrative job. He said he interviewed across the U.S. for months and ultimately got several offers for “outstanding deanship opportunities.”
He chose Seattle University, in part, because it’s a “progressive” law school with “strong social justice missions,” he said. He officially begins July 1. “Seattle U Law is an ideal place to teach and study law, with tremendous promise and potential,” Varona said.
“John and I could not be happier,” he added, referring to his husband. …
Donna Kay Coker, who has been professor at the UM law school for more than 25 years, said Friday she’s “absolutely thrilled for Tony and not surprised he’s landed in a great space.”
However, she clarified that the questions surrounding Varona’s relegation remain unanswered. “Many of us are sad or angry still about what happened to Tony,” she said. “We still have questions about why it was that he was fired when he had so much support, questions about our relationship with the board of trustees and the leadership, and whether there was any bias involved.”
Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:
- University Of Miami President Fires Tony Varona After Less Than Two Years As Dean; Tenured Faculty Protests Decision; Varona's Lawyer Says He Will Contest The Firing (May 26, 2021)
- Outrage Grows Over Firing Of Tony Verona After Less Than Two Years As Miami Dean. Did Minor Declines In U.S. News Ranking And Bar Passage Rate Play A Role? (May 27, 2021)
- More Fallout Over Miami Dean's Firing: Faculty Senate Unanimously Urges Reinstatement; Vice-Dean Resigns; University Agrees To Meet With Faculty; Dean Claims President Defamed Him (May 28, 2021)
- Miami Law Alumni Slam Firing Of Dean; AALS Section Demands Investigation To Determine Whether Tony Varona Was Targeted Due To His Gay And Hispanic Status (May 29, 2021)
- University Of Miami Faculty Senate Unanimously Condemns Firing Of Dean Tony Varona And Urges His Reinstatement (May 30, 2021)
- SALT Calls For Review Of Dismissal Of University Of Miami Law Dean Tony Varona, 'UM’s First Latinx And Openly Gay Dean' (May 31, 2021)
- Was This Law Dean Fired Because He's Gay? His Supporters Want Answers (June 2, 2021)
- University Of Miami President Doubles Down On Decision To Fire Tony Varona After Less Than Two Years As Dean (June 5, 2021)
- Miami Searches For Interim Dean After Controversial Firing Of Tony Varona, Who Sought To Reduce Overhead Tax Law School Pays To University (June 14, 2021)
- Tony Varona Takes The High Road In His Farewell Message After Being Fired Less Than 2 Years Into His Deanship (June 30, 2021)
- University Of Miami Appoints Acting Law School Dean; Faculty Demands Investigation Into Firing Of Tony Varona (July 1, 2021)
- Sixteen Miami Faculty Demand Answers To Questions Surrounding Firing Of Dean Tony Varona (July 6, 2021)
- Miami Law Community Seeks Answers On Firing Of Tony Varona As Acting Dean Takes Over (July 11, 2021)
